Southwind Heater Safety

tomkc1

tomkc1

Senior Member
My '34 Ford Fordor has a Southwind heater in it and I'm always reluctant to use it worrying about a fire. I did find an article about the Southwind a while ago and basically it said that the heaters were very, very safe to use.

Does anyone have knowledge that they are as safe as the article stated or maybe know something to the contrary?

By the way, my Ford was bought by my grandfather brand new in 1934. It was given to me by my aunt in 1970. She is coming over for Christmas dinner tomorrow and we're going to take pictures with 4 generations in front of the car and then take a ride. Its going to be a bit cold here in New England and the last thing I want is to have a cookout inside the car caused by a faulty heater.

All comments appreciated. This forum is such a wonderful resource. Thanks to all who contribute.

Merry Christmas to all and Happy New Year!
 
If you have had the car since 1970 and aren't sure about the heater working, I sure wouldn't want to fire it up with out checking it out thoroughly first.
 
If you have not used it since at least 1970 I doubt if it will work w/o at least cleaning out the tiny feed line from the Carb float bowl and the vacuum line that draws the fuel in and exhaused gasses out. I have had more than a few of them in cars and one in a airplane with no problems at all. My 35 has one that has been in it since befor 1959 and all it does is a dammed good job of heating almost as soon as it is turned on. I have heard it stated they are dangerous but never any actual proof other than "they have to be dangerous since they burn gasolene".
 
How about a BIG gas heater in an airplane. That's makes you pucker up a little when it's about 15 degrees outside and don't fire off when you push the button. The second try gets your attention. G.M.
 
There is nothing dangerous about a SW. Fire is all contained in the heater. All exhaust gasses go back to the intake. If you have not used the heater in years, my guess it is corroded up on the inside and may not work anyway. They get stopped up that way and have to be taken apart and cleaned out. They are a great heater and give almost instant heat.
 
The biggest danger with internal combustion heaters is a crack in the heat exchanger. Carbon Monoxide poisoning is no joke. Aircraft that are equipped with them have to have a carbon monoxide warning indicator in plain view of the pilot and they should be replaced every few years to keep them in good condition. In a passenger car, you could end up with a bad head ache if you are lucky. Southwind heaters are good units but they have to be inspected for cracks in the liner every so often.

A fire could happen with a carburetor or any fuel system leak. The plumbing just has to be kept in as good a condition as the engine's fuel system for safe operation. A once over of the fuel system will tell you if you have a leak. If it's leaking into the passenger compartment, you will smell it.

The DC-3 that Ricky Nelson died in was equipped with a combustion heater and it obviously was not well inspected prior to that flight.

Kerby
 
But Rickey Nelson was free basing with some drug and ether. Now an ether based heater can be very dangerous
 
Now that you've waited this long, I would grab a couple of blankets to have people use and wait til later to ck out the heater. JMO
Paul in CT
 
Thank you all for the helpful information. I think my post was misleading and I'm sorry for that. I gave the impression that I had never used the heater. In fact, I have used it many times over the years but each time I use it I wonder just how safe the Southwind actually is.

Up until now I have always put the Ford "up" for the winter usually in early November and bringing it out in late April so there were years when I would not have any occasion to use the heater. Now I'm shipping it to our home in Florida where I hope to do some long awaited maintenance and restoration. The information I will get from the folks here is priceless and I'll need all the help I can get.

Thanks again. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to all.

Tom
 
Tom, I'm doing a 40 two door, it had a South Wind heater in it. It looks very good but I'm not going to use it. If you are interested I would sell it for $50 obo. I am leaving for Florida this next week, let me know, I could bring it down, thanks Chuck.
 
I used the South Wind for years and never had a problem. I am not aware of any inherent problems, with them. When the internal combustion engine was first being used by auto Mfg. the Steam engine Mfg. spread rumors they were not safe.
 
The SW will not work with a crack because if its cracked, it looses vacuum and will not pull gas from the carb. The vacuum line goes below the carb and into the intake manifold, it is not goint to fire there. The gas that is pulled into the heater is vaporized thru the capillary tube and so on.
 
They are very safe, I have one that works as good as new that has been in my unrestored 40 Ford since the car was new, the car came from New Hampshire. The guy that is really knowledgible on Southwinds is at this site.

http://www.citroenvie.com/South_Wind/Home.html
Click to expand...

I just looked over his website. His pricing seems very reasonable. It looks like they start around $200 for a complete package. I just may have to try one of these.

-Mitch
 
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